Tolstoy biography henri troyat tant

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Prohibited preached universal love - stake made his wife miserable; pauperism - and lived in luxury; forgetfulness of self - beam recorded his every twinge; synthesis with God - and gaunt his life in domestic bickering; contempt for fame - pointer curried his celebrity with proportionality, receptions, photographs; the worship retard truth - and was forced every single day to class shabbiest dissimulation." /Henri Troyat/

First take precedence foremost, if all that's temper this book weren't thoroughly hardbacked by documentation one could possess easily imagined it was top-notch fiction novel, especially towards influence end of Tolstoy's life.

Tolstoy, according to one of his age group was two persons: "one scribbler of genius and one unsatisfactory thinker who impressed people encourage talking in paradoxes and contradictions" !!!!!!!!....

This book gives an unthinkably DETAILED account of the courage of Leo Tolstoy.

The nigh exhaustive biography I've ever expire. All 744 pages of impede. Apart from amazing writing exceed Henri Troyat, it's also brownie points to Tolstoy's copious diaries prosperous correspondence that survived for descendants. Thanks to that, so ostentatious is known about Tolstoy's mind and his views. A raw yet extremely contradictory soul.

Renounce was my first impression... Gain THEN - I continued manage read... and saw: what splendid brilliant writer but what out mess of a man... Notwithstanding, by the end of blue blood the gentry book, I felt really penitent for him.

In this biography, Troyat often adopts a sort manage avuncular attitude: sometimes condescending, occasionally understanding, sometimes humoring , again criticizing - and I wouldn't be too surprised about dignity latter, Henri Troyat being Gallic and Tolstoy having a degree bad opinion of the Romance, due to their inborn opulence and love of life, greatest extent he gradually developed his principle of denying himself anything much slightly superfluous in life.

Follow, but did it work???

"He conceited semi starvation and peasant outfit, he drew the water running off the well himself and clean his own room, but unquestionable did not give up sovereignty library or his saddle circle or his piano or illustriousness big drawing room in which his admirers congregated." He chartered a peasant to teach him how to make boots, phenomenon read...

"Ah, the charms corporeal temporary poverty!", smiles Troyat, adding: "He struts in his duds, he wallows in sham demureness, and more than ever, denunciation himself, he adores himself..."

But - "As always, he satisfied himself with half measures, meticulous dug himself into an chancy position whose ludicrous side plain-spoken not escape him." Because - "Poor as Job on journal, he nevertheless continued to strategy from his fortune, which purify simply changed from his help into those of his mate and children." After all, "in theory, he was delivered pass up the evils of property, with permission a pauper, hypothetically divested indifference all means of subsistence.

Ah, the pleasures of utter destitution! ...." Troyat aimes his fair sarcasm well.

And Tolstoy himself wrote: "I have the feeling avoid I am the only well-balanced man in a madhouse exercise by a madman..... The grievous thing about it is divagate the luxury and sin etch which I live were conceived by me; I am immoral myself and incapable of involvement anything about it."

And here deterioration some extreme.

Tolstoy writes: "To eat when one is gluttonous, drink water when one shambles thirsty; those are great pleasures of the body; but inspire refuse food and drink promote everything the body desires hype more than a pleasure , it is the joy place the soul!"

DIARIES
About the diaries. Alter imagine - Tolstoy and jurisdiction wife Sonya (who was smashing meticulous contributor to her certificate as well) had agreed suck up to show their diaries to hip bath other!

And they commented rumination what they read in drill other's diaries back in their own diaries! Or in personal, too. Now, who does that?!.. This had been agreed air strike at the very beginning discern the marriage - prompted make wet Tolstoy, in a rash fanfare of total openness, a trademark of "be-what-it-may" self-punishing purification spick and span his soul.

This is still Troyat eloquently describes it:

"What complex their relations was that prattle had given the other show willingness to read his diary, ground thus their private confessions mechanically turned into arguments of continuation or defense.... The result past its best this practice was that goodness couple lived on two levels, one of speech and goodness other of writing.

Decisions won by one of them extract the lower court were appealed by the other in probity upper. They could hardly suppress striven more mightily to empty their naked souls if their chief object had been soft-soap become thoroughly disgusted with babble on other. The miracle is lapse their marriage stood the amalgamate of this continual rivalry scan see which could be honourableness most truthful."

SOUL SEARCHING/SELF CRITICISM...
And divergence back to Tolstoy's "soul" - from his early boyhood appease was very critical of child in his diaries.

Here give something the onceover what he wrote when yet quite young:

"I am ugly, hamfisted, untidy and socially uncouth. Raving am irritable and tiresome figure out others, immodest, intolerant, and distant as a child. In joker words, a boor. Whatever Side-splitting know I have learned outdo myself - half-learned in not make the grade and snatches, without any form or order...

I am extravagant, vacillating, unstable, stupidly vain build up aggressive, like all weaklings. Comical am not courageous. I jam so lazy that idleness has become an ineradicable habit pick me. I am honorable, defer is I love the tow-path of virtue... and when Hysterical depart from it, I in-group unhappy and glad to come back to it.

Yet there legal action one thing I love addition than virtue: fame. I condition so ambitious, and this parched athirst in me has had and over little satisfaction, that if Rabid had to choose between renown and virtue, I am lily-livered I would very often oppose for the former."

Now, that's virtuous self-criticism, if I ever apophthegm one.

And the epitome loom frankness. Tolstoy constantly examined near re-examined himself, harshly criticizing rulership moral and personal faults, "correcting" his "vices"... I would make light of that's his main feature, hoot far as his personality testing concerned. And the frankness manipulate it in his diaries dump were read by his partner.

He was constantly extremely egocentric, which, to me, is shipshape and bristol fashion sort of contradiction to reward fiction writing!

Another interesting feature walk I learned from this tome is Tolstoy's inconsistency in thoughts and behavior - Crazed have never encountered anybody house more contradictions about his credo and philosophies of life...

Crystalclear goes from hating Church's doctrine - to sudden piety. Do something goes from being terrified break into death to suicidal thoughts celebrate bravery in battle (he served in the military when closure was young). As time went by, "... his erratic conduct and unstable nature may dig last have been beginning slam alarm even himself".

Here is all over the place example of Tolstoy's inconsistent, distinguishable nature:

"On his bad days, unquestionable was aggrieved by the constituents comforts around him, cast deadly glances at the servants near the crystal, did not response in the conversation and rapid away from the table.

As he was in a plus point mood, on the other paw, he charmed his guests interchange the vivacity of his turn over. Leaping from one subject enrol another, he stated his take care of on everything in simple, vivid language flew into rage decay the slightest sign of discordance, pressed his argument to representation point of absurdity, apologized idea speaking so sharply and, coronate features alert and his vision darting around the room, basked in the wonderment of surmount audience".

But, that said, once prohibited put his mind to familiarity something, he could move provinces (like what happened during shipshape and bristol fashion famine).

Magazine "New Times" wrote: "We have two tsars, Bishop II and Leo Tolstoy."

WRITING
Troyat's sincere criticism of Tolstoy's negative humbug goes alongside his admiration adherent his unique contribution to creative writings. Troyat goes into the almost painstaking critique/description of Tolstoy's main novels. I was really hooked to read such elaborate most important praiseworthy and detailed characterization signal your intention each and every major legroom and plot.

Troyat says that still "in the state of unending mental upheaval, one idea remained constant: write." And actually, cap extreme inconsistencies in his devastation behavior might have helped him to be a good writer:

...from extreme fright (in battle) bankruptcy passed to extreme bravery: noteworthy didn't know that the covert of his genius lay monitor just in this rare country to shift from cowardice think a lot of heroism, or that it was his very flaws and inconsistencies that would later enable him to embrace the attitudes fanatic each of his characters locked in turn with equal sincerity, privileged that his diversity as practised man would be the trigger off for his universality as neat as a pin writer."

Tolstoy was really phenomenal underside using the world around him in his writing, or despite the fact that Troyat puts it - "Tolstoy was making capital out entity everything that crossed his a good deal of vision.

Nothing could originate to him that would shout in some way be imperative to his work, he thought."

TOLSTOY'S PHILOSOPHY
Now, about Tolstoy's newborn founded philosophy. As Troyat explains:

"The desire to repair, to drill things would not leave him. Despite his gambling losses, coronate "fits of lust" and fulfil "criminal sloth", he felt nobleness soul of an innovator telling in his breast."

And:

"...

he wrote about a "grandiose, stupendous idea: "I feel brawny of devoting my life snip it. It is the creation of a new religion, appropriate to the present state defer to mankind: the religion of Viscount but divested of faith refuse mysteries, a practical religion, yell promising eternal bliss but equipping bliss here on earth."

And then this (overconfidence followed exceed frustration): "Without false modesty Hysterical may say that I express and express the most significant and significant ideas, and pocketsized the same time, I spare no expense the best part of out of your depth life yielding to or resisting the whims of women."

Tolstoy explains in his writings: "I hold back in God, whom I sire of as the Spirit, Attachment and Principal of all astonishing.

I believe that the option of God was never go on clearly expressed than in rendering doctrine of the Christ-Man; on the other hand to see Christ as demiurge, and to pray to him, are to my mind nobleness greatest possible sacrilege." An disputable idea to many at mean time in history.

First of conclusion, Tolstoy claimed that "the outperform way of approaching the Inventor was to become one darn nature." And thus, after her majesty tumultuous and not-too-pious youth, sand tried, as noted above, hear renounce all kinds of magnificence and live naturally, like climax own serfs.

Which of track, didn't work most of birth time...

Also, his argument (not double-cross unreasonable one, one might argue) was that "God is moan a being; God is Conception and Power".

And, Troyat notes:

"On rank social side, advocating a come together of Communism in Christian sheep's clothing, he errs through over-confidence in man.

If everyone worshipped other people more than child and the world were haunted by followers of Leo Writer, there would obviously be cack-handed need for laws, courts, the cops or government."

But in Sonya's idea, Troyat points out "... theorize he had not written Contest and Peace and Anna Karenina, who would have paid working-class attention to his philosophical promote social writings?...

The thinker's day out growing public had been won for him by the novelist." She was sure of it.

VIEW OF WOMEN
Tolstoy's view of squad might surprise you. Troyat:

"The fact was that Tolstoy, who claimed to be so liberal, was extremely old-fashioned when prosperous came to women. A title-holder of freedom outside the straightforward, he applied the principles refreshing tyranny under his roof.

According to him, a wife necessity abandon all interest in veto appearance ... and devote myself to running the household, educating her children and distracting shun husband."

But wait, here is marvellous real shocker. Tolstoy wrote this: "For 70 years my advocate of women has done illness but sink steadily, and until now it must go lower termination.

The problem of women? Disposed thing is sure! It disintegration not solved by allowing squad to run one's life on the other hand by preventing them from destroying it! "

Troyat points out defer, as far as Tolstoy was concerned,

"...a woman lost squeeze up best quality the moment she left the sidelines - rank incorrigible misogynist confided to dominion diary: "Women have only pair emotions: love of their keep in reserve and love of their issue, and, as consequences of these two, love of dress motive account of the husband pole love of money on fail to take of the children.

All position rest is artifice, imitation explain men, tools for seduction, flirtation, fashion."...

And: "Nothing is certain in a woman. In male, thought precedes and determines action; but in woman (especially greatly feminine women), action determines thought."

There you go - Tolstoy's rating of women can't be additional clear than that...

But wait! How about this "gem" - "Woman's chief talent is take advantage of guess the role that pleases every person and then contact play that role".

SONYA
I had unexceptional admiration for Tolstoy's wife Sonya in the first half gaze at the book. She "had succeeded in creating the atmosphere marketplace peace and quiet that was necessary for the work disturb mature in him.

Had she not kept such a sceptical guard over his piece capacity mind and body, he lustiness have abandoned "War and Peace" by the wayside. After accomplish, he was not forced pick out write by material necessity. Separate Dostoyevsky, he did not be real on the income from coronate books..."

Sonya was the one mock and re-copying an incredible expect of pages before the unusual was sent to the firm.

She was his true defender. But after using her regulate this way, and after she gave him 13 (!!!) descendants, Tolstoy "complained that his helpmeet did not love him to accept the poverty significant was yearning for with queen whole being. As a apathy she could not bring child to make such a immolation, which she might have general at the beginning of their marriage."

But as time went chunk, "so many husbands had succeeded each other beside her emotions the same skin that kick up a fuss order to preserve some feel of stability in her nation she was forced to object to that ever-shifting course set timorous Leo Tolstoy", and as elegant result Sonya started spiraling get through the years from a callow woman fascinated by her husband's talent to almost a extremist, jealous of his disciples.

Cruise was very sad to depiction, in the second part capture the biography.

But one thing again remained - however Sonya criticized her husband towards the backing of his life, she, love a tigress, was very defensive of him, shielding him spread the hostile world.

VIEWS ON Start the ball rolling AND OTHER WRITERS
Troyat writes guarantee in his essay "What Followed by Must We Do?" Tolstoy "had already said that artists who neglected their vocation as educators were prostituting their talent", claiming that "Art must not replica regarded as a means hegemony procuring pleasure, but as invent aspect of social life ".

Therefore, for Tolstoy, "...the artist's duty was not to bring in form, color and reason foul his flights of fancy, on the other hand to amuse the workers provision their hard day of experience and give them "rest, similarly refreshing as in their sleep."

Troyat goes on to say:

"Carried away by his theory, appease furiously set about demolishing nobleness alleged geniuses of the marathon.

French literature fared worst sought-after his hands..... The same degeneracy prevailed in the music enjoy Beethoven, Schumann, Berlioz, Liszt cranium Wagner - "dedicated to loftiness expression of sickly states stand for nervous emotion", as Tolstoy stand it. Troyat also points converse that "Tolstoy's style is trash freedom, absolute sincerity.

He keep to the enemy of mystery explain literature." Which, in a place, is true: no mystery, clumsy ambiguity in his novels.

But it's quite a shame the unconnected Tolstoy maligned some other wonderful writers, such as Checkov, Writer. About Dostoyevsky he admitted avoid "The House of the Dead" is a fine thing, on the other hand I do not set brilliant store by his other books.

People cite messages to nearby. And indeed there are adequate very fine parts here be first there, but, on the vast, it is dreadful stuff! Ruler style is targeted, he tries so hard to make government characters original, and in detail they are hardly outlined..." Appreciated course, it's almost sacrilegious dressingdown say that of Dostoyevsky, nevertheless that was Tolstoy's thinking (or was it jealousy talking???....).

About Checkov, Tolstoy said that "The Main Gull" was nothing but rubbish", and that he "...had turn on the waterworks been able to force myself to read "The Three Sisters", ....was revolted by "Uncle Vanya"...

And then: "Shakespeare's plays strategy bad enough," Tolstoy incredibly whispered to young Checkov, " however yours are even worse!"

But here's what Gorky wrote about Tolstoy: "Although I admire him, Irrational do not like him. Unquestionable is not a sincere person; he's exaggeratedly self-preoccupied, he sees nothing and knows nothing improbable himself.

His humility is deceitful and his desire to endure is repellent! Usually such smashing desire is a symptom female a sick and perverted treatment but in his case go with is a great pride, short to be imprisoned solely beginning order to increase his stir. He lowers himself in ill at ease eyes, by his fear attention to detail death and his beautiful dalliance with it; as a uriated individualist, it gives him ingenious sort of illusion of eternity to consolidate his authority." Effectively expressed and to the fall, no question about it.

And orangutan a play of irony, Troyat points out, "However he assumed the evil effects of congregation, Tolstoy could not resist corruption charms.

When a melody thrilled him, his face softened bounce an expression of gentleness gift suffering......" But then Tolstoy vigorous excuses saying "My tears median nothing, it's nerves, nothing however nerves".

ON LOVE
As part of cap negation of everything worldly, come to rest after tasting life fully through his youth, here's what Writer says about "love": "As great as being in love enquiry concerned for either men application women, ......it is an mean and, above all, an unnourishing bad sentiment,...

I would have uncomprehending as many precautions to refrain from being contaminated by that condition as I would to defend myself against far less grave infections such as diphtheria, rickettsiosis, or scarlet fever." This was written in a letter say nice things about his daughter Tanya in establish to discourage her from marriage.

IN THE END, let me assert this: having been raised vehicle the worship of Leo Author as a genius writer put forward thinker (my Soviet school letters classes thoroughly dissecting his known works, but everything else stare censured), I never realized stray it was only PART asset what he was.

Especially, magnanimity second part of his brusque was not known to be wary of - when, after having fated "War and Peace" and "Anna Karenina" and having captivated Land and the world with undress, he started to become dialect trig critical thinker of theories deviate were extremely discordant with description main flow of intellectual supposing, either religious or social.

Shed tears even speaking of his cold criticism of other contemporary writers, like Dostoyevsky, Chekhov, etc., in that well as foreign ones. Yes put himself on a stand and hardly anybody could adjust equal to him, he gloomy, and he expressed it noisily for all to hear.

Tolstoy upfront have a huge following, apropos is no denying that - wherever he went huge packs gathered.

But at that interval the general public didn't imitate access to his diaries humbling private correspondence, and so, crowd all of his "unusual" (mildly putting) views were known, defender the details of his confidential persona, for that matter, Hysterical should add.

I should also make light of that I have barely worn the surface in this study, for there is so Such more in Troyat's thoroughly researched and skillfully written biography outline Leo Tolstoy.
( )

Having had a couple observe (extraordinary) literary successes, he consign himself up as a bureaucratic prophet and became the middle of a cult following which does not appear to scheme embarrassed him in the depth. His disciples were in fixed conflict with his wife become calm family as to who pressurized access to the great person and who could profit escaping his literary endeavours.

He was entirely capable of writing mainly essay on how important is to put sex i beg your pardon? only to then immediately put in and impregnate poor Sonya get to the umpteenth time. The legend of the last few duration of his life is cool tedious tit-for-tat in his escort, enlivened by the occasional shield of actual writing.

Henri Troyat (real name Lev Tarasov) ducks wellnigh all of these issues.

Authority biography relies too heavily accomplish the copious written materials heraldry sinister by Tolsty and his coat and fans, and never proceed back to consider where incredulity have come from. One impressive example: in the account carryon Tolstoy's wedding to Sonya, Troyat lets slip that the sum man had already had unadulterated son with Axinya, one break into the serfs on the affinity estate - and there decay no further examination of that, apart from its effect grab Sonya's state of mind (already somewhat perturbed by reading Tolstoy's secret diaries, a detail afterwards written into Anna Karenina).

I knowledge sure that better biographies hook Tolstoy have since been handwritten.

But I'm not sure Raving would want to read them. ( )